Ficus Species, Bo Tree, Bodhi Tree, Peepul Tree, Sacred Fig

Hello, All.
I feel like I've won the lottery: one of my ficus religiosa seeds has sprouted! It's tiny (just growing its third le...Read Moreaf after 6 weeks), but it looks good. Is it time to fertilize yet?

Additionally, this tree is known as "alamo" among Lukumi Yoruba people. Something about the energy of this tree is sacred, period.

July 11, 2011
The abovementioned seedling died when I tried to transplant it. In fact, I'm not sure if it was actually a F. religiosa seedling to begin with.

I received the seeds from a German purveyor through Ebay in a tiny little "ziploc" bag in the winter. Once I germinated "the impostor," I set the remaining seeds in the receptacle with their titular deity (Orisa), where they stayed for several months. When "the impostor" died, I tried again with different soil, in a different, 3" pot, singing a few songs for the Orisa of the plant.

I have subsequently germinated 3 F. religiosa seedlings (in one pot) and they look nothing like what I had before. Two of the new seedlings are rather small, but the third one, with lush, heart shaped leaves, is obviously a F. religiosa.

While I do believe that my singing and allowing the seeds to sit with the Orisa helped them germinate, I also believe that Alamo seeds have a dormancy period, which may have been overcome by sitting the seeds in a dark, "climate-controlled" environment for several months.

Finally, because these are going to be indoor trees, I would like to know about training the seedlings into bonsai. Palmbob, please respond!

It is important (if you are Buddhist) to get this plant from a good dealer as a seedling, as if it gets scale, we cannot kill the scale. ...Read MoreI have found a remedy for preventing the scale, though it caused a drastic unhappy period for my trees. A product called "Brand X" which is actually a polish for leaves, if sprayed on the leaves and stems is so slippery that the scale cannot attach. End of scale problems, though I curbed the two that had that problem immediately rather than infect other plants in my house or killing the bugs. A very good, reliable dealer from whom to buy seedlings (and it will take a while as he will only send them when they are in the best condition to be sent and when the weather is right is from :
Perry Nguyen
http://www.MiraBerry.ca
http://www.FloraExotica.ca
(514) 747-7618, (514) 268-2323Perry Nguyen
http://www.MiraBerry.ca
http://www.FloraExotica.ca
(514) 747-7618, (514) 268-2323

He has many interesting and healthy specimens and while I have had to wait for them, they have always proven to be well worth the wait!

He also has some interesting items (a new hand seeder, a new fertilizer) which he often sends as samples. I got a goodly amount of the new yearly fertilizer with my last two Bodhi seedlings but have not yet tried it as I am now asking if it would be useful on outdoor shrubs that are not throwing blooms of goodly size.

Both my earlier shipment of two Bodhi trees (now almost five feet tall) and my later shipment (now about three feet tall) are thriving. These are meant as gifts except for one which I will keep.

There are three ways to reproduce this tree:
Layering (recommended)
Cuttage
Seeds

Make sure you have ...Read Morehigh temperature and humidity when reproducing it.

Also, cuttings from the Bodhi Tree that Bodhi achieved enlightened is still on earth. i.e. they have same DNA. The oldest one in Sri Lanka is the oldest alive tree recorded in human history.

A struggling one gallon plant i bought this spring is now a beautiful dense crown of leaves. A warmer than average summer has been good f...Read Moreor it..and i can tell if it was in ground it would be a small tree or large shrub in the bay areas cool (relative) climate. Full sun and sunlight warming the soil,along with much water and some fertilizer are all thats needed. It does flutter in the breeze-a nice change from the usual stiff Ficus species.

I been longing to propagate this plant but still have no good results! I've tried cuttings since I believe we don't have the little fly o...Read Morer wasp that is involved in its fertilization to use its seeds.
Can anybody give me a good hint about how to make this beautiful ficus get spreaded in my city?

In nature, the tree grows to 100 feet. Grown in pot, it can be pruned to any desired size. Leaves are heart-shaped with long, threadlike ...Read Moretips. As the tree grows, the soil around its base can gradually be removed to expose the top part of the root system.

This is a sacred tree for budhists: it's said that Budha reached the illumination while meditating under a tree like this.

...Read More Despite religious purposes, this tree is a popular species used in many landscaping projects. This is a fig tree with a vigorous sculptural trunk. In oposition to other fig trees, this species have less superficial roots, meaning that it can be planted near pavements, as long as it has room for the trunk's diameter.

The leaves are triangular, with a long, caudate tip, green color with light veins. The tree usually throws away older leaves as it grows new ones, so they are constantly falling on the ground. I don't have information about the figs, but birds like them.

Likes warm temperatures, a regular watering. I've seen it planted in many kinds of soils, but it seems to preffer the acidic ones with an adiction of organic matter.